The last 36 hours have been a sad time for me. Yesterday morning, while we were getting ready to head for home from the extended weekend at MarsCon, I received a call from the guys that run the kennel where the Katya and Tasha go for doggie camp when we travel. They told me that katya was not looking good and were very concerned. I told them we were on our way home and would check in with them. When I got to the kennel a couple of hours later, Katya was still doing poorly but stopped whining, which she had been doing nonstop prior to my arrival. She was unable to stand, let alone walk. They helped carry her out to the truck and I took her home and called the pet clinic.
At the clinic, the doctor sad she was dehydrated and weak, and wanted to run some diagnostics. I should come and pick her up at 7 PM (closing) and they will know more then. They showed me the x-rays and she was suffering from some severe spinal damage. It didn’t look good. They gave her some stuff to ease the pain and wanted me to bring her back first thing in the morning and we would see how she was responding to the treatment.
At first Katya rested quietly, but around 10 PM she began whining. she was in pain, hungry, thirsty, and many other things. I did what I cold to comfort her, sitting up with her until 4 AM when she finally quieted down. It was pretty bad. I knew she was suffering horribly.
When I took her in to the pet clinic this morning, we had already reached the decision that it was Katya’s time, and it was far more humane to put her to sleep than have her live her remaining days in pain and severe suffering. It was a tough decision to make, but it was also the right one. I held her and stroked her head while she went to sleep. She went peacefully. And yes, I cried.
Katya was a rescue who came to me with many problems, having been abandoned to the wild. When I first took her in and had her examined, she had second stage heart-worm disease. She survived the treatment for that. Later on I learned that while she was left in the wild she must ave been shot as she was still carrying bird shot in her hindquarters.
Katya was with me just shy of ten years. She was the most gentle and loving dog a man (or woman) could ever have hoped to have. She was always willing to please and her eyes were full of love.
Now she is with all of the other Huskies, running that great Iditarod in the sky. I miss her very much.
